


Scars

by RayByAnotherName



Series: Qrowin Week 2019 [5]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 12:03:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19317802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayByAnotherName/pseuds/RayByAnotherName
Summary: Qrowin Week Day 6 is Scars.616 words of Qrowin headcanon involving Jacques Schnee and his abuse.





	Scars

Qrow hated Jacques Schnee long before he met Winter. Even in Mistral, in a bandit camp no less, the cruelty of the Schnee Dust Company was well known. More specifically, the sudden cruelty. The man who'd started it had an honorable reputation - Qrow'd heard quite a lot of cursing about that too - and the world had expected his daughter to be the same. They'd gotten his ambitious and sadistic son-in-law instead. 

Now though… this wasn't hate. Qrow wasn't even sure what to call this emotion. All he knew was that Winter's smooth skin was marred by scars - her back was littered with them. 

"They've long since healed," Winter's voice was small as she spoke. Her chin was tucked against her chest, eyes focused on her bare toes. 

Qrow reached out, fingers ghosting over the bumps and ridges. He'd touched most of her flesh. He knew what her back *should* feel like - supple, smooth, creamy. Winter flinched when his hand finally made contact with the scar tissue. 

"Sorry," Winter tensed. "I'm not use to people touching them."

"Don't be sorry, princess," Qrow croaked. He voice cracked and he felt tears slipping down his cheek, "You don't ever have to apologize for how you feel." 

Winter glanced at him over her shoulder, eyes wide and trembling. Qrow wanted to reach out for her again. He fisted his hands instead. "Thank you." Winter's voice was so low he barely caught it. 

"We all got scars," Qrow said, wiped at his face. "We all deal with them our own way." He knelt to the floor to grab the shirt Winter had dropped. He handed it to her, "Thanks for trusting me." 

"I've never shown them to anyone before," Winter didn't look at him as she dressed. "My team, back at the academy, they knew. My mother." Qrow's eyes snapped to her. "I don't want Weiss or Whitley to know." 

Qrow's mind was racing. He'd grown up in a bandit camp. His parents either dead or unwilling to claim him. Raven had needed to protect him at times, especially when his semblance triggered something that wasn't beneficial to the clan. But no one had ever raised a whip to them, hell, they'd only attack him with weapons when his semblance got someone killed, the first time. 

"I gotta ask, but you don't have to answer," Qrow breathed through his nose. He kept his eyes closed as he braced for a possible answer. "What else did he do Winter?" 

The shrug was probably worse than the answer, "He was controlling. I was difficult to control." Her eyes hardened, "Better me than Weiss, or Whitley. They were very young." 

"He did this when you were older?" Qrow began to pace. It wasn't a long room. Just a small, and slightly crappy, hotel room. Winter shrugged again. 

"I suspect he waited until my grandfather died before escalating his abuse," Winter's eyes locked on his. "My mother quickly retreated into herself. It was easy for him to takeover after that."

Qrow had a vague memory of when Jacques was named interim head of the SDC. It made international news. He'd been in Patch, visiting. It was just before Summer had… 

"Weiss was young enough," Winter said, voice rising to her normal pitch, "I doubt she remembers the transition." 

Yeah. Qrow hated Jacques Schnee before this, but this…this was contempt. Utter and complete contempt. He wanted the man dead more than Salem. 

"I don't need you to defend me Qrow." His focus snapped to Winter as she raised a hand to his shoulder. "I need you to help me destroy him," Winter's eyes glinted like steel. 

Qrow smirked, "Anything you need, princess."


End file.
